Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1887-08-02
icopJhrli. -. ~ Ai-ooi&fe'ts..l
THE GOOD OLD TIMES or A
CENTURY AGO.
By Jup0u e.. r. WnrrNlS.
Chap,r MN
Chapter MN
AprrR YAHD

NOV. Tommy" s.il samuel. the
mex, day after Christmas. ",he weather
/, pleasant. sni Il you would like TO see
/. moose yard We will ,D and had one.
mus, start for home Ia day or two.
Ani Il We can fnd one before ! g.. We
can sc, mea, enough 90 lG,, all winisr.
besides the hides will make good blank.
eis."
"wha, is moose yard never heard
of one before" said Tommy.
"la the winter the moose live on the
sides of mountains snd hills. aud browse
on the bark of the moosc.wood or strip
ed maple. and the red OF swamp maple.
They tsgia by gnawing A. the bottom
of trees. ard work upward az the season
advances. When the sloNs b:sin % ge,
deep, they commence 10 yard; that l.,
they make grea, path, ,hrolgh the snow
for large circuit. and BY travelling over
/, in al directions. i, is irodden down
hard. This Is the yard where they live"
replied Samuel.
"I.., US so then. for want 20 see a
moose yard" said Tommy.
They were soon in readiness. aud with
Bose, were on their way toward the
source. Of the NsIinseo, river. where
moose and deer were supposed TO be Plen-
y.
1.-THE moose /, the larse,, Of the deer
Mad Of animals" resumed Samuel for
Tommy's benef, As they wen, along.
"They sometimes grow a. large a. our
largest horses, bg, are not 80 beautiful in
shspe, or 30 compaeily baili They lii'
their fee, very high in walking and re-
mind one Of horse that ha, the string
halt. They have Kind OF shamoling
,ro,, snd more speed than the horse for
a short distance. They differ from all
other animal. Of their Kind. in having
large, square heads. with nos,ril' sloueh.
ed over the sides % the mouth. and their
an,lsrs spread ou, like the open fngsrs
Of tie hand, from two and hAlf,o three
feet from Zip TO tip. Their sn,ler' will
weigh Abou, fihy pounds. The males
only have horns and they shed them onee
a Year And usually in the month Of FEB.
ruAry. They add one new prong annually,
beginning when two years old. by the
number a moose has. bis age can be deter
mined. The horns are not all shed At
one time. bu, they come oil ohe by one,
as they are rubbed sgains, trees. aud
probably from the animal feeling an itch.
ing sensation. The moose mature a, five.
and live from sixteen 10 twenty years.
81 never saw moose" said Tommy,
bn, from the picture Of one Ia Tots book
|, isA noble aud handsome animal"
"Ye.. be certainly i, when fully grown,
and fa,."
"Aflsr they had goae some four OF five
miles. they came TO place where The
bark Of the trees had been gnAwed of
from the lower par, OF the trunks, for
A considerable distance around.
"This /. one Of their ysrd.,' s.ii
Samuel. "Ibe trees you see are Rot en-
,irely gnAwed around or girdled as ,hA,
would kill them. and il !. said that their
ins,ine, leads them to preserve them for
future use, but do not know how this
il. Later In the season the bark will be
gnawcd or As far up the trunks as the
animals can reach"
"How strange" exclaimed Tommy.
81 reyer saw anything 20 queer before.
Hearing the bark Of the dog which had
gone on ahead. they hurried forward ia
ascertain what be had started. As they
acended = sharp knoll. they caught sight
Of deer. going toward the lower ground
q, grea, speed. They followed on s'
fss, as they could and were surprised TO
find that instead Of making directly of
IL had taken a eiicui, and gone bach
towards where |, had started, and stop
ped in a elump Of slders near a small
stream. seniing Tommy around Il
drive it out--,he dog having been cslleS
ot-Samuel eorcssled himself behind I
tree, and a the animal came out on th'
jump, he gave II the contents OF hi
fowling piece. The deer turned asid'
a. II unhurt and bounded of out Of sight
While Samuel was loading. Tomm.
followed the trail which was plainly dis
cenible by blood on the snow. from IL
wounds, and soon had the satisfaction .
seeing tie animal down breathing Il
last.